Face the Nation: Leiter, Costa, Kaine, Stefanishyna

[0:00] And we're joined now by Israel's ambassador to the United States, Dr. Michael Leiter. [0:06] Welcome to Face the Nation. [0:07] Good to be with you. Good morning. [0:08] So your prime minister and the American president speak daily, according to President Trump. [0:15] Have they agreed to beginning and ending the war on the same timeline? [0:20] We've been collaborating now for months, I would say, even prior to Rising Lion, Midnight Hammer in June. [0:25] And that collaboration includes daily conversations in which there's an assessment of how the war is progressing. [0:33] And I assume that we're going to reach a complete understanding on the end of this war as well. [0:39] So you believe and trust that America will stay with Israel through the duration of this, [0:45] even if there are strains in the American economy like gas prices? [0:48] We've reached a level of collaboration that we've never seen between our two countries and between our two militaries. [0:53] This is a very important operation that doesn't depend really on a timeline. [0:59] You know, when you're doing something that's so critical, you're not going to look at a stopwatch. [1:02] This has to be finished. [1:03] This is a terror-sponsoring state that has to be brought down. [1:06] And that's what we're focused on. [1:07] But you agree with the U.S. assessment from the secretary there? [1:10] He said this is just a matter of weeks? [1:13] We believe so. [1:14] We're seeing cracks in the edifice of this military security terror regime. [1:19] They're starting to have very grave difficulties in conveying orders down through the system. [1:24] There's arguments within the system about the appointment of a successor to the supreme leader. [1:30] They're having grave difficulties. [1:31] The fact that they're lashing out irrationally to all of their neighbors and firing these ballistic missiles [1:37] into all of their neighbors from 12 countries, into Europe, for crying out loud, [1:40] is indicative of the fact they're having huge problems. [1:43] We're having success in these attacks on their command centers. [1:46] So, President Trump was specifically asked yesterday about sending troops in to secure Iran's supply of enriched uranium. [1:54] He said he's not ruling it out. [1:58] Does Iran currently have access to the documented enriched uranium that exists inside the country? [2:04] And what is Israel's plan to secure it? [2:07] Israel's plan is to secure it. [2:08] That's for sure. [2:10] How? [2:10] How exactly is an operational issue? [2:11] I don't think, Margaret, do you want me to discuss here on a Sunday morning to face the nation. [2:15] We've got to do that. [2:16] It's an objective that we have to accomplish. [2:18] But the first thing we have to do is create a situation where we're going to be able to get to that enriched material and remove it. [2:24] And that has to reach a point where there's less kinetic activity on the ground. [2:28] It's obviously on our radar screen, and we're going to take care of it. [2:31] The whole objective here of this operation is to prevent a terrorist state from achieving nuclear weapons. [2:37] So, it's very much on our radar screen, and that's what we're going to accomplish. [2:39] But just to put a fine point on it, the concern is that that material could end up in the wrong hands if the regime collapses and it's a mess, right? [2:46] So, how do you secure it without ground forces in some way? [2:50] Is Israel ruling out ground forces? [2:53] We're ruling out the possibility of this regime remaining in the position where they can endanger us and their neighbors. [3:00] If that includes putting boots on the ground. [3:04] Our preference is for the boots on the ground to be those of the Iranians. [3:08] These are people who have been living under the boot of this regime now for 47 years. [3:12] They want freedom. [3:13] This is a whole generation out there that knows there's such a thing as freedom but has never tasted it yet. [3:18] They need to put their boots on the ground and ensure their future and the future of the region. [3:22] You mean the Iranian army? [3:23] The Iranian includes, no, I mean the Iranian people. [3:28] Eighty percent of the Iranian people are opposed to this regime. [3:30] They just haven't been able to express themselves. [3:32] Well, and CENTCOM is telling Iranian civilians to stay home right now. [3:35] Is there any organized or armed opposition inside Iran that Israel supports? [3:42] We've been talking to the minorities now for many years. [3:44] The minorities meaning the Kurds and the Azeris? [3:46] The Kurds, the Balochis, the Azeris. [3:48] But the Iranian people themselves, the Persians, we saw what they did two months ago. [3:52] There's a point of combustion where the people will rise up and say, we've had enough. [3:57] We want freedom. [3:58] So once we set the stage and there's no longer regime with a million armed people that are willing to shoot their fellow citizens in the back, [4:06] these people are going to rise up and say, we want our country back. [4:08] Because President Trump said yesterday he does not want the Kurds to make up about 10 percent of the population within Iran. [4:15] He doesn't want the Kurds in neighboring countries to enter the conflict. [4:18] We don't want to make the war any more complex than it is already. [4:21] Turkey's foreign minister came and said he said he had spoken to Rubio about it. [4:26] But he said this, Israel's intentions in this matter are not so secret. [4:31] Turkey seems to think that your country is trying to get the Kurds to intervene here. [4:36] Is that accurate? [4:37] I wouldn't take the words of President Erdogan too seriously. [4:41] He's talking about his own caliphate spreading throughout the Middle East. [4:44] He's talking about taking over. [4:46] Well, let's see, it's coming down from the president. [4:48] He's talking about taking over Saudi Arabia and Israel at the same time. [4:51] Look, we want a united Iran. [4:53] There's no question about it. [4:54] But we want to empower the minorities to have their say in the process, in the political process. [4:59] They've been denied of their freedom. [5:01] So it's not a matter of supporting this particular minority or another. [5:04] It's supporting all the minorities. [5:05] And what we're encouraging them to do is to coalesce, is to come together, to unify. [5:10] If over the past 47 years the opposition of Iran would have unified, this regime would have come down a long time ago. [5:16] So we can help them coalesce. [5:17] We can help them unify. [5:18] We can help them come together and rise up and say we're taking our country back. [5:22] That's ultimately the end game. [5:23] So your prime minister gave an address Saturday and said to the IRGC, to those who lay down their arms, no harm shall come. [5:31] To those who do not, their blood is on their own heads. [5:35] If there are no Israeli ground forces, who do you want the IRGC to surrender to? [5:39] How does that work? [5:41] There are many precedents in history where the people themselves, like Romania, they turned their guns around against Ceausescu. [5:48] When people are deprived of freedom, there's a certain point where they say enough. [5:51] And all they have to do is put down their weapons and not participate. [5:55] Look, they don't have to participate when the people rise up in shooting their own civilians, their own neighbors, their own families in many cases. [6:02] So, look, the objective here is to achieve a situation where Iran is no longer an exporter of terrorism, is no longer raining ballistic missiles down on its neighbors, and is no longer in the pursuit of nuclear weapons. [6:13] That's achievable. [6:14] And together, the collaborative effort between Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, we're going to accomplish that. [6:21] Ambassador, we have to leave it there for the moment, but we'll have more questions shortly. [6:24] We need to take a quick commercial break. [6:26] Stay with us. [6:35] Welcome back to Face the Nation. [6:37] We return to our conversation with Israel's ambassador to the United States, Dr. Michael Leiter. [6:43] Just to pick this back up, when we talk about what's coming next in Iran, it has tremendous impacts, potentially, for the entire region and American interests there. [6:53] The president said, when it comes to Iran's next leaders, most of the people we had in mind are dead. [6:58] The New York Times is reporting the Israeli strike that killed the supreme leader also took out Iranian pragmatists, that was how they phrased it, who were also in that same compound. [7:09] But the White House had hoped that those individuals might help lead a new Iran. [7:13] Were they intentionally targeted by Israel, or was this unintended? [7:17] Now, pragmatists are very limited in their ability to influence in Iran. [7:23] There have been pragmatists all throughout the 47 years of this terror regime. [7:27] They've had absolutely no influence. [7:29] The people influencing, deciding for Iran are these ayatollahs who have a very apocalyptic view of the future and don't really care about how many people they kill of their own or others. [7:39] So, look, what we're hoping for is that we move into a period of a transitional government where the minorities come together, where the majority of the people come together, all the various opposition parties come together for a transitional government where they can lead the country for a year or so, together with the guidance from the United States and Israel and other regional allies who will no longer live under the fear of being hit by ballistic missiles, [8:06] and then move into a mode of a democratic process. Let the people choose. [8:10] Let's not forget, the people of Iran are the most pro-Western people after Israel. [8:16] Well, but when I hear this is going to take weeks, not months, referring to the combat, what you're talking about takes a long time, that kind of transition. [8:28] So we're not just talking about a limited military operation. [8:31] U.S. pressure, Israeli pressure is going to have to be there for a long time. [8:34] Yeah, well, this isn't Iraq or Afghanistan, because in this case, 80% of the people oppose the regime. [8:42] They just need the ability to express themselves. [8:45] That's what we're emphasizing here. [8:46] This is not a repeat of forever wars. [8:49] They've got to put their boots on the ground, and they're beginning to be motivated and to feel that they're going to be able to accomplish that. [8:56] They're beginning to move forward. [8:58] It's just going to take a little bit more time. [9:00] There's no long-term gain without some minimal pain. [9:03] Look, I know what war is all about. [9:05] I hate war. [9:06] I lost my son in war. [9:07] I don't want to see war. [9:08] None of us in Israel want to see war. [9:10] But we can't have a situation where our existence is threatened every day by a regime that says they're going to eliminate us. [9:16] But just to put a fine point on it, did Israel intentionally target those other Iranian leaders that the president had referred to as some of the people he had in mind to lead? [9:25] You know, Margaret, we're pretty good at precision. [9:27] I think we've proven that. [9:28] But the degree of precision where in this very same room there are these people sitting and those people sitting, we're not that good. [9:35] Ambassador, thank you for your time this morning. [9:37] Good to be with you. [9:38] We'll be right back. [9:39] We'll be right back. [10:13] And we thank them for their sacrifice. [10:39] We turn now to CBS News National Correspondent and Chief Washington Analyst Robert Costa. [10:46] Bob, I understand you spoke with President Trump by phone last night. [10:50] It was a heavy day. [10:53] How is he feeling about this war? [10:55] Good morning, Margaret. [10:56] Late last night, I did speak with President Trump about how he assesses everything. [11:00] He talked about the sustained assault on Iran. [11:03] He said, as we were speaking last night, the factories were being bombed. [11:06] He believes the United States has done a lot to eradicate the Iranian military, the Iranian leadership. [11:12] And I asked him about the Iranian leadership in particular. [11:15] Who is he going to deal with if there's going to be a diplomatic solution here? [11:18] And he's getting threats from Ali Larajani, the top national security official, among other Iranian leaders. [11:23] He said, I couldn't care less who these people are. [11:26] I'm focused on the war, the military campaign against them. [11:29] And he says their threats are empty, in his view. [11:31] So, I mean, this is something we've become used to in the age of Trump, that he takes phone calls from reporters. [11:40] But that's incredibly unusual, particularly in a moment of such high sensitivity. [11:47] Usually, the wording, the language, it's so carefully crafted around a war strategy. [11:54] He's not doing that. [11:56] We're almost following each statement to figure out where this war goes next. [11:59] And sometimes those statements are contradictory. [12:02] It seems, based on the conversations I've had with him, not only last night, but in recent weeks, [12:07] that he's highly engaged and always being briefed and updated. [12:09] So, it's actually beneficial as a journalist to constantly hear how he's assessing the information in front of him. [12:15] He kept going over last night how he saw over 40 ships have been destroyed. [12:20] And he was talking about the extent of the destruction. [12:23] And I said to him, well, what about what's next now? [12:25] You're telling me about what's happening. [12:27] What next? [12:28] What about U.S. allies? [12:29] You talked about how he doesn't want the Kurds to enter the fight. [12:32] And when it comes to the Brits, for example, he's pushing back against the Prime Minister, [12:37] Keir Starmer, saying it's too late, he told me, too late to be sending ships. [12:40] He said his mission right now is to focus on the U.S.-Israeli efforts to push Iran to have unconditional surrender. [12:47] And when I pushed him again a little bit, I asked him about the Iranian leadership, he says, [12:50] he's not focused on that. [12:52] He's focused on getting Iran to a point where they surrender. [12:56] That's the entire prerogative he has right now. [12:59] It's interesting. [13:00] And we're going to be tracking it. [13:01] Thank you, Bob, for bringing us your latest reporting. [13:04] We'll be back in a moment. [13:10] We're joined now by Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. [13:13] Good to have you here, Senator. [13:14] Thank you, Margaret. [13:15] You sit on many relevant committees, armed services, foreign relations. [13:19] I want to ask you about this explosion overnight nearby the U.S. embassy in Oslo. [13:24] I understand that the Norwegian police say it may have been a deliberate attack linked to the current security situation. [13:32] What do we know about the threat here and to other American posts? [13:35] There are threats. [13:37] Because of my service on the foreign relations committee, I've been in dialogue with State Department personnel around the world. [13:43] Escalated security. [13:45] Other embassies or consulates have had protests, protests that kind of were merging toward violence or at least frightening to our diplomats. [13:55] We have American citizens stranded in the region. [13:57] They were told to come home, but they weren't told to come home until after commercial air flights had stopped. [14:03] And so my office has been working with Virginians this week trying to help them come home. [14:07] And so we owe it to our brave professionals, wherever they are, and our citizens to keep them safe. [14:14] And, Margaret, it's just one more reason why I've been asking the question, have we learned nothing from 25 years of war in the Middle East? [14:21] And with the arrival of the first American casualties back home yesterday, including a Virginian, I worry that the answer to that is no. [14:29] So do you have an estimate on the number of Americans still stranded in the Middle East? [14:35] It's thousands and thousands. [14:37] It is. [14:37] Now, not every American chooses to come home. [14:40] So there's hundreds of thousands if you just add them all up. [14:43] Who is coming home? [14:45] I am working with the Virginians who are reaching out to my office. [14:48] We were able to facilitate one Richmond-area resident getting home from Dubai on a flight a couple of days back. [14:55] And so it's sort of dealing with that. [14:57] But what worries me a little bit more is that some of the professionals at embassies and consuls are not being told to come home. [15:04] And they're sort of there. [15:05] And often their security presence is not what we wish it would be. [15:09] So we have to pay close attention to them. [15:12] Let me ask you about the homeland now. [15:13] We're in this fourth week of a partial homeland security shutdown. [15:17] That means people at the Coast Guard, Secret Service, and TSA are not getting paid. [15:22] But ICE and CBP are still funded. [15:26] Given that the pressure from Democrats isn't affecting the agencies where Democrats want to see policy change, is this really an effective strategy? [15:35] Well, we have said to the Republicans, we've worked out funding for all those agencies other than ICE and CBP. [15:41] Let's just pass those funding bills. [15:43] Let's confine the ICE and CBP reform discussion just to those two agencies and fund the others. [15:50] Thus far, Republicans have blocked those efforts. [15:52] We want to fund TSA, FEMA, Coast Guard, CISA. [15:55] We want to fund those agencies. [15:57] And we have a funding agreement that's already been negotiated between both parties and both houses. [16:02] So let's do that. [16:04] And then ICE and CBP, the Republicans gave them money last summer. [16:07] They're not running out of money. [16:09] We can continue the reform discussion there. [16:11] Well, I ask because CBS obtained a Homeland Security critical incident note that cites Iranian religious leaders issuing fatwas calling on Muslims to avenge the supreme leader's death. [16:23] DHS says that, you know, in the past, these kind of fatwas haven't really inspired attacks necessarily. [16:29] But you've got to be worried about it in this moment in time. [16:32] So isn't there a good argument to be made to move on this standoff to end it? [16:39] I completely agree. [16:40] Let's fund all these agencies that don't have funds right now. [16:43] And let's confine the ICE and CBP discussion to what are the reforms necessary. [16:48] Why isn't that happening? [16:49] Well, we've offered this on the floor and the Republicans have thus far rejected. [16:53] They've said you've got to fund everything or nothing. [16:56] And we've said we've agreed on all the other agencies. [16:59] Let's do that. [17:00] But ICE and CBP need reforms. [17:02] We've made that very, very plain. [17:03] And American citizens want there to be reforms. [17:06] And so that is the focus right now. [17:08] And they do have enough money because the Republicans provided to them last summer in the reconciliation bill. [17:13] We saw Secretary Noem lose her job this week. [17:17] You've said you do regret having voted for her. [17:20] You were one of the Democrats who did. [17:22] She was a governor. [17:22] Governors are often good cabinet secretaries. [17:24] But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn't calling the shots. [17:28] Stephen Miller is calling the shots. [17:30] And as long as he is calling the shots without reforms, this is going to continue to be a very, very rogue, renegade department. [17:40] Well, do you need to see and hear something from Senator Mark Wayne Mullen to get you to vote for him? [17:49] If you're saying he's just going to be basically a puppet of Stephen Miller. [17:52] That's our fear. [17:52] So he could demonstrate otherwise. [17:55] But what we want to see is not just the change in the nameplate on the door. [17:59] We want to see reforms to the way ICE and CBP operates. [18:02] They should operate like local law enforcement does, not invading people's homes without warrants, body cameras, not wearing masks. [18:09] Administrative, not judicial warrants, right? [18:11] Yes, yes. [18:12] Well, for homes, I would say judicial warrants. [18:14] I think that would be important for invading people's homes. [18:17] These are basic principles that our local law enforcement agencies live by. [18:23] The Ashland Town Police lives by them. [18:25] We should ask our federal agencies to do exactly the same thing. [18:29] You're on Armed Services as well. [18:31] The Pentagon may be looking at a supplemental budget request to fund this new war in the Middle East. [18:37] Next, CSIS estimates the first hundred hours of the war cost nearly $4 billion. [18:43] Have you heard an estimate on cost? [18:45] Where are we on this supplemental? [18:47] Will it get any Democratic support? [18:50] We don't know that the White House is sending a supplemental. [18:52] So we had a classified briefing the other day, and the topic came up. [18:56] What I can say, and it's not classified, is the administration said they haven't made a decision. [19:00] My goals right now are twofold. [19:02] Stop this war, which I view as both illegal and profoundly unwise, and protect our troops. [19:08] If a supplemental comes over, I'm going to be looking to see, okay, how does it square with those goals? [19:14] Protecting the troops is key. [19:16] That's one of the reasons I want to stop the war. [19:17] I think they're just exposed to a completely unnecessary risk by what President Trump has done. [19:23] So we'll look at a supplemental, if they send one, to see, okay, how does it accomplish those goals? [19:29] Do they tell you what that's dependent on? [19:30] Why don't they know if they need more money? [19:32] Is it the duration of time of the conflict? [19:34] I think that's the issue. [19:36] You traditionally don't ask for a supplemental halfway through because you might ask for an inadequate amount. [19:43] I think they may not want to ask for a supplemental because they're trying to avoid debates and votes in Congress on the Iran war right now. [19:51] I put up a war powers vote that I lost earlier this week. [19:55] But I can assure you, I'm not going away. [19:58] We have other means to have a debate and discussion about whether this war is in the U.S.'s interest after 25 years of war in the Middle East. [20:05] They may want to avoid a vote on that and are trying to delay it for that reason. [20:09] They'll make that call and we have to look at the content. [20:12] Very quickly, I want to ask you about some of the Americans that are still being held in Iran, in Evin prison. [20:18] One of them, Reza Balazadeh, a journalist. [20:22] One of them, Kamran Hakmati, a 70-year-old man. [20:25] Do you have any idea what is being done to protect them or stop them from being retaliated against? [20:30] I do not. And I fear about that. Look, if school kids are being killed in bombing, likely U.S. bombing, although the president and the secretary of defense are now trying to invent a claim that it was Iran, if school kids are being killed, I worry about the fate of U.S. citizens who are being held prisoners there. [20:48] Well, we know the military is investigating that, Secretary Higgs has said, in regard to the girls' school. We have to leave it there. Senator, thank you for your time. [20:55] Glad to be with you, Margaret. [20:56] We will be right back. [20:57] We turn now to the war in Ukraine and Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Olga Stefanyshina. Welcome back to Face the Nation. [21:10] Well, Margaret, thank you for having me. [21:12] So, one of the biggest threats to Ukraine has been Russia's ballistic missiles that it has been firing into your country for some time. [21:20] The solution has been the patriot system, the American interceptors. [21:24] They are in short supply, as you well know, and now America's allies in the Gulf tell us that they are also in short supply there and they need them. [21:35] Your president said he is concerned America is going to reduce its air defense support for Ukraine. [21:41] How much of a problem is this for your country? [21:44] Well, thank you, Margaret, for asking this question. [21:48] Of course, we have been talking about that publicly as well and have been having non-public discussions. [21:53] But the most important thing that we see that, you know, the events happening right now with the war in Iran have been so resolute that probably these are the most important developments in a global arena over a decade. [22:09] So, no shortages of means should be an issue, and we are sure that the American defense industry is capable of making sure that all the fronts are covered. [22:19] Ukraine has the resources and ability to procure more, and we are looking forward for exploring the options how to do it. [22:26] But also, you know, we ended up with four, three hundred Shehet drones over the houses of Ukraine, which was only possible because Iran has been a strategic enabler of the Russian aggression three years ago. [22:42] And we see what the involvement of chip technologies is, and we have been ready to contribute. [22:49] Well, I asked that earlier in the program of the Energy Secretary, Chris Wright, because Russia and Iran have been allied here. [22:57] They have been trading resources and technology. [23:01] They are allied in many ways. [23:04] He seemed to say they were not really a factor. [23:07] You say they are directly one. [23:09] Well, I mean, they are absolutely a factor because basically the Shehet drone technology was developed to attack people, [23:18] to demoralize population, to cause the losses among civilians. [23:22] So, it killed, like, hundreds of Ukrainian kids, so many families, and this was a strategic enabler of war. [23:30] And Russia has been, they, Russia were not investing in bilateral relations or development or investments. [23:36] They were investing in regimes like Iran, Venezuela, and Syria just because they thought it's not possible to have the resolute action as it is now taking place with Iran. [23:48] And as it was before in Venezuela, and it was not possible a couple of years ago with the Syria. [23:53] So, they are deprived of means of their influence. [23:56] They are weaker. [23:57] But also, we should not forget that Ukraine has shown that Russia is no different from all of these countries. [24:03] It's just bigger. [24:06] And we see that, you know, the experience which is being gained right now and the new reality which is being formed by President Trump also pays the way to the new reality for the Russians. [24:17] And I'm sure they are really, really afraid of it. [24:20] Well, your president said he was asked by the United States to provide anti-drone technology that Ukraine has to America. [24:27] When does that arrive? [24:29] When will that be operational? [24:31] So, you know, we understand more than anybody in this world what is needed in a moment of crisis. [24:38] What is needed when you see when you're people are dying just and across so many cities of the Gulf countries. [24:44] And what we suggested is the immediate action and immediate reaction. [24:48] So, we can secure the skies, we can provide the air defense because we have so much knowledge. [24:55] And these are only Ukrainian people, Ukrainian forces who have this knowledge and capability. [25:00] So, we are able to provide it to the United States and the Gulf countries. [25:06] And this is what we did. [25:07] We are not going to stand aside knowing that people are dying because we know how painful it is. [25:12] And we will do everything we can to make sure that this resolute action is ending up with something that is called positive. [25:23] So, sending advisors to help with the drones, it sounds like. [25:26] And also capabilities. [25:27] So, the drone capabilities of Ukraine is not only the drone or the people. [25:31] It's the whole spectrum of actions you're taking because the situation is changing every week. [25:36] And you need to have people and the mechanism which allow you to react immediately. [25:40] And this is what only Ukraine has on the entire planet. [25:44] So, just a few days ago, President Trump said he thinks Vladimir Putin is ready to make a deal. [25:50] And he said that Vladimir Zelensky, your president, has to get on the ball and he has to get a deal done. [25:57] And he referred to him as a PT Barnum of Ukraine. [26:00] It seems like the relationship is still really tense, even though you're talking about Ukraine helping the United States. [26:09] What's going on here? [26:11] Well, I mean, I think definitely a couple of minutes of this discussion is not enough for that. [26:17] But I think we're assessing the situation by actions. [26:23] And the actions are that there is a mechanism where Ukraine still can get access to American military equipment. [26:29] President Trump has released a significant sanctions to the Russian Federation over the last months. [26:36] And also, we are in a dialogue already trilaterally with the United States and the Russians on ending the war. [26:43] All of this is a very important development, and we are looking forward for their success. [26:49] But for us, the most important thing is that we are able to defend ourselves and secure our cities. [26:54] And we are doing that to the extent we can with the American support. [26:58] And we have never been too tired to give credit to President Trump for so many important things he did. [27:05] Although the rhetorics we hear sometimes is not something that really very clear or very positive. [27:11] But, you know, we're a tough country. [27:13] We're tough people. [27:14] We have been through so much that, you know, a couple of words is not something that really can distract us. [27:21] And we know what we know, that Ukraine is a country in the world which really wants the war over more than anybody. [27:29] And this is where we stand. [27:31] What evidence do you have that Russia is helping Iran in its war right now on these American allies? [27:40] Well, some information has been provided. [27:42] It's not something that we would want to share, you know, in a media or go public with. [27:49] But I can also assure you that it's not only Ukraine. [27:52] There are, like, a lot of countries who have a lot of information and a disposal and intel community is very well developed across all the NATO formats. [28:00] So whatever information is there, it's already at the disposal of, you know, all allies and partners, including the United States. [28:08] And I'm sure this is an information which is black and white. [28:12] It's nothing which can be called gray. [28:16] But it goes beyond sharing targeting information, which CBS has reported. [28:22] I'm not sure that I could really comment on that. [28:25] But I think we should look also in the context that Russia has been supporting the regimes of countries I've mentioned, like Venezuela, like Syria, like Iran for years. [28:37] And this partnership was possible and evolved in building the productions in the Russian Federation. [28:43] Ambassador, thank you for your time today. [28:46] Thank you all for watching. [28:47] Until next week. [28:48] For Face the Nation, I'm Margaret Brennan.